Patriots deal with several injuries in win over Falcons
The Pats escaped with a win over Atlanta, but suffered a spate of potentially significant injuries in the process.
The Patriots got banged up on both sides of the ball during Sunday's 24-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons, and at critical spots on their roster.
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez was the most notable name of the walking wounded for the Patriots, but it appears that he and the team dodged a bullet. Gonzalez landed hard on his head while competing for the ball with Falcons wide receiver Drake London, and left the game to be evaluated for what the team reported as a head injury. But Gonzalez later spoke to reporters at the podium after the game, a sure sign that he had actually escaped a concussion.
"I'm good," Gonzalez responded multiple times, confirming that he made it through the concussion protocol. That marks the second time this season that the spotters cleared a Patriots player during a game, after Drake Maye passed the test in Week 7 at Tennessee. Gonzalez didn't re-enter the game, though, and it nearly proved costly, as Carlton Davis III was covering London on his late touchdown catch. But the cornerback also said he could've gone back in, so he was presumably held out as a precaution.
The more serious injury situation appears to be with wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who left with a hamstring injury in the second quarter and was later ruled out. Rookie wideout Kyle Williams played a season-high 31 snaps in Boutte's absence, but had no catches on only one target.
Boutte entered Sunday's game second in the NFL in yards per catch (18.7) and tied for eighth with five touchdown catches, as he's emerged as a dependable big-play target for quarterback Drake Maye. Hamstring injuries can be tricky, so his situation will be one to monitor, and he'd be a significant loss for the offense if he has to miss time.
Additionally, linebacker Christian Elliss left the game with a hip injury and didn't return. Ellis had played more than 50% of defensive snaps in six of the first eight games of the season, so he would be a big workload to replace as well.
This all comes after the Patriots ruled running back Rhamondre Stevenson out with a toe injury. TreVeyon Henderson got his first career start and Terrell Jennings saw an increase in snaps as a result.
The Patriots will have to hope they can heal up quickly, because they're headed for a litmus test game in Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They'll also probably have to clean up the turnovers and generally play better than they did against Atlanta, if they want to score a road victory in what will be one of the marquee matchups of the weekend.
